#romashka

Look at this curious pin I got today. When I first saw it, I wondered what the date was on it, because surely there must be some reason to put the exact date on the pin. And here's what I found:

On August 14, 1964, at the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy (now National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute) the world's first experimental power installation "Romashka" (“Camomile”) with direct conversion of nuclear energy into electrical energy has been commissioned.

In fact, it was a high-temperature nuclear reactor-converter using fast neutrons, which generated electricity without the use of any moving mechanisms. A thermoelectric converter based on a high-temperature semiconductor silicon-germanium alloy was used as a generator in "Romashka". Enriched uranium dicarbide was used as nuclear fuel. The Romashka reactor-converter has successfully operated for 15,000 hours, generating 6100 kWh of electricity.

in the background is the book Atomic-hydrogen energetics and technology, chief editor: V.A. Legasov